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Reviewed · Updated 2026-06-19

Cosential

Manages CRM, sales pipelines, and client relationships for architecture and engineering firms.

Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team ·
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Pricing
Free Trial
Best for
Construction firms
Category
CRM & Sales
The bottom line

The go-to CRM for AEC business-development teams that need pursuit tracking and proposal automation in one platform.

6.4
Our score
6.4 / 10
Conversion Gems editorial verdict
From ~$50/user/mo; custom enterprise quotes
Features8/10
8 - comprehensive AEC-native feature set: pursuit tracking, AI-enhanced proposal automation, pipeline analytics, and Outlook integration few vertical rivals match.
Value5/10
5 - opaque custom pricing starting ~$50/user/mo with annual lock-in; ROI is real for power users but hard to evaluate pre-demo.
Ease of use5/10
5 - powerful but demo-gated, sales-assisted onboarding and AEC-specific configuration add meaningful ramp time.
Ecosystem7/10
7 - strong AEC integrations (Procore, Deltek, Sage, Trimble, Viewpoint, Outlook) but ecosystem depth is narrow outside the construction vertical.
Support7/10
7 - enterprise-tier support and dedicated customer success expected at this price point; community resources limited compared to horizontal CRMs.

Community ratings

4.1/ 5 aggregate · across 2 sources
G2
4.0260+ reviews
Capterra
4.460+ reviews

Third-party ratings shown verbatim; aggregate weighted by review volume.

What it really is

Unanet CRM by Cosential — enterprise CRM and proposal automation built exclusively for AEC firms.

Our take

Cosential was acquired by Unanet and is now branded 'Unanet CRM by Cosential' — the dominant purpose-built CRM for architecture, engineering, and construction. The DB labels it 'free_trial' pricing which is misleading; there is no free product — a demo trial is simply the sales entry point. Paid from roughly $50/user/month with custom enterprise quotes for larger teams. Over 32,000 users and 1.5M tracked opportunities confirm its AEC market leadership.

Why we rate it

Unanet CRM by Cosential is the only enterprise CRM built specifically for the AEC vertical with deep integrations into Procore, Deltek, Sage, Trimble, and Viewpoint — giving BD teams a single source of truth for pursuits, contacts, and won project history that generic CRMs cannot replicate.

The catch

Fully demo-gated sales process with no self-serve trial or transparent public pricing; implementation effort and onboarding timelines can be lengthy, making it a poor fit for small or budget-constrained firms.

Best for
AEC business-development and marketing teams managing complex pursuits
Firms pursuing government and RFP-heavy contracts requiring polished proposals
Mid-to-large AEC companies needing CRM integrated with accounting platforms like Deltek or Sage
Not good for
Non-AEC industries — the vertical focus is a feature, not a bug, but limits portability
Small or startup AEC firms needing quick self-serve onboarding with transparent pricing
Teams seeking a lightweight pipeline tool without proposal-automation complexity
Friction report
Time to value
Slow: access requires a sales demo and custom onboarding; no self-serve signup or instant trial available.
Scale breakpoint
Per-seat costs compound quickly above 30–50 users; adding modules (advanced analytics, integrations) triggers separate negotiated line items.
Walled garden
Moderate: data exports exist but pursuit templates, proposal workflows, and historical win/loss data are tightly coupled to the platform, making migration non-trivial.

A look inside

Cosential product screenshot

Frequently Asked Questions

Alternatives

Step up

Unanet ERP (full project and financial management suite) for firms needing CRM plus project accounting in one vendor.

Lighter alternative

Buildr CRM for smaller construction teams that need simpler pipeline tracking without enterprise complexity.

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Tags

#ProposalManagement#AEC

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